The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith, Mort Shuman, Scott Jacoby ... see more see more... , Dorothy Davis , Clesson Goodhue , Hubert Noël , Jacques Famery , Mary Morter , Judie Wildman

In this Canadian thriller, Jodie Foster plays the title character, a reclusive, fiercely self-reliant teenager who lives alone in her father's house. When visitors call, Foster explains that her fathe... read more read more...r is away on business. He's away, all right...far, far, away. And Foster, determined not to lose her independence, will go to any lengths to protect her secret, a fact that nosy neighbor Alexis Smith learns to her regret. A new danger to Foster's well-being looms in the form of pedophile Martin Sheen, who schemes to place the girl in a compromising position. Offering a helping hand to Foster is misfit teenager Mario (Scott Jacoby). Laird Koenig adapted his own novel to the screen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

69% liked it

5,243 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

7 critics

PG, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: Nicholas Gessner, Nicolas Gessner

Release Date: January 1, 1976

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: October 4, 2005

Stats: 289 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
Upload a Photo | View All The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (289)

  • flixsterman
    February 4, 2012
    flixsterman
    A low budget 70's horror classic with perverse underpinnings. Similar to Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) and The Last House on the Left (1972) but much more subtle and enigmatic.
  • Redlats
    January 22, 2012
    Redlats
    A pretty creepy movie. Jodie Foster plays a 14 year old who lives by herself. She is smart and willing to do anything to keep herself out of foster care (ha ha).
  • 3niR
    June 3, 2011
    3niR
    OMA it's Jodie Foster! She was really cute and her acting was as good as it is now. Loved this movie. The story was teensy bit unacceptable but the performance made this better than it was. Great thriller.
  • ajv2688
    January 3, 2011
    ajv2688
    A good thriller, it could have been scarier, but it does have good tension, and a good cast too. I liked it.
  • RCCLBC
    September 22, 2009
    RCCLBC
    A brilliant piece of film making. Slightly dated but still really solid. Just enough tension and suspense to keep you interested and the story moving.

    The landladies son Frank Hallet (Martin Sheen) is just about a big a sleeze ball as you can find and is almost too much to i... read moremagine, until we are introduced to his mother Ms. Hallet (Alexis Smith) who is a prime example of the (rotten) "apple not falling far from the tree".

    Even at this early age (14?) Foster as Rynn really shows her acting skills. She has a certain "old soul" quality that is perfectly suited for this story.

    The fact that we learn fairly early on that Rynn has a good (though slightly twisted) head on her shoulders and can take care of herself, helps to make the whole pedophilia back-story slightly little less disturbing. I don't think they could have gotten away with it with a lesser actress or if we felt that Rynn was some helpless ingenue.
  • ceWEBrity
    August 25, 2009
    ceWEBrity
    Nothing special, but reasonably entertaining. A spiritual predecessor to all the ridiculous "adult" thrillers that would go on to populate Jodie Foster's filmography, its strengths are outdone by some sordid intentions (apparently the producer wanted her to get naked for the movi... read moree, at the age of 14, which she wisely refused. Her nonchalant performance suggests a distaste for everything that's going on here). If a little obvious, the film deals with some interesting themes, such as abandonment and need and growing up too fast. It also looks good, and I imagine the music probably sounded better back in the mid-70s; it has since aged to the point of sounding ridiculous. At its heart, though, it's a typical "criminal with her back to the wall" with a few clever tweaks. A fun curio for Foster fans, but skippable for anyone else.
  • kiriyamakazou
    February 26, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    A stunning film in all respects. The best thing about this movie is the pacing. There is nothing in this film that could be described as "filler". Every shot has a purpose and every shot is used to full effect. It's similar to another forgotten classic, Magic, in it's tone. It is... read moren't quite horror, nor exactly a thriller and some moments just don't fit in a drama category. All this adds to a chilling tale of adolescence. From the very first scene we are introduced to Foster's incredibly adult performance and Sheen's disturbingly outgoing and sinister character. The film hints strongly at the answers to the mystery but doesn't come straight out and tell us. It makes us wait. Sheen and Foster give arguably their greatest performances and it's a film where nobody tries to out act each other or steal the show. The score is beautifully crafted, being both classical and shoving in some 70's synth sounds. No doubt The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane will haunt you for some time. This is a film that more and more people need to see.
  • adammahler1
    April 25, 2008
    adammahler1
    Sheen is a great psycho; Foster's monologues are awful
  • purplemegan
    February 20, 2007
    purplemegan
    Interesting movie but kind of slow. And Martin Sheen was a creepy man.
  • dreamfaeries
    August 24, 2006
    dreamfaeries
    Jodie does great in this film.

View All The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane Reviews

Critic Reviews

Fernando F. Croce
February 14, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

The novelistic strangeness of the material is compounded by the stagy reticence of Nicolas Gassner's direction Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
December 28, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A creepy atmospheric shocker oddity that's engrossing and suspenseful. Full Review

Pablo Villaca
April 21, 2006
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Um curioso e atípico suspense que traz Sheen em uma performance impecavelmente repulsiva e que também se beneficia da atuação assustadora de Foster, que, com apenas 13 anos, já se mostrava uma atriz c...

Janet Maslin
May 9, 2005
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Cole Smithey
March 8, 2008
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
October 6, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Mark R. Leeper
November 5, 2004
Mark R. Leeper, rec.arts.movies.reviews

No review available.

Matt Kelemen
March 11, 2004
Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife

No review available.

November 21, 2008
Urban Cinefile

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Alice, Sweet Alice (Communion)
    Alice, Sweet Alice (Communion) (100%)
  • Foxes
    Foxes (100%)

More Movies like The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Little Girl W... : Watch Free on TV

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane Trivia

The Little Girl Who Lives Down th... Trivia

  • Jodie Foster played in a movie, co-starring Martin Sheen about a little girl.  Answer »
More The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?